Public Media Responds to School Closures

Station Education Services

Public media stations across the country continue to support their communities with vital education services and resources. NETA is collecting examples of how stations are supporting their education community in response to the coronavirus crisis. Contact Rachel Morrison Parsons to have your station work highlighted.

Multi-State Collaboration

DC, Maryland, Northern Virginia

In the first-ever educational collaboration of the region’s public TV stations, Maryland Public Television (MPT), WETA, and Howard University Television (WHUT) announced a partnership aimed at supporting the educational needs of families whose children are learning from home during the coronavirus public health emergency.

The “At-Home Learning” initiative launched on Monday, April 6 on MPT, WETA, and WHUT. The primary feature of the collaboration is a coordinated schedule of educational programs selected by the stations and available weekdays to viewers free over the air, through cable and satellite providers and, in the case of MPT, on a livestream at mpt.org/livestream.

To further support learning for students who will not be returning to their physical classrooms, Alabama Public Television (APT) announced Learn at Home with Alabama Public Television. Beginning April 6, APT has modified regularly scheduled weekday programming on its main channel to offer specific pre-K-12 resources. Educators and parents also have access to supplemental lesson plans and curriculum materials to facilitate meaningful use of the content.

As part of the plan for the completion of this school year, the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) identified a list of 10 "critical standards" in each of four core subject areas (ELA, math, science and social studies) for each grade, K-8. In order to help teachers easily identify resources, APT’s education staff curated a collection of PBS LearningMedia and Alabama Public Television content aligned with each of the critical standards.

Alaska Public Media, in partnership with Anchorage School District, is broadcasting a weekday At Home Learning schedule with programming targeted towards different school-age groups. This TV schedule was developed to help schools and districts bridge the digital divide and provide equitable access to learning for all students at home, regardless of access to the internet or computers. Educational programming runs each weekday starting Monday, March 30, on KAKM.

Arizona

On March 23, Arizona Public Media and Arizona PBS launched Arizona At-Home Learning, a Public Education Partnership that reaches communities across the state in response to local school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both stations have blocked several hours in their broadcast schedules each weekday for educational programming to supplement the curriculum offered for each grade level online. The websites, Arizona Public Media At-Home Learning and Arizona PBS At-Home Learning offer resources for students, teachers and parents aligned with state curriculum and are updated with lesson plans weekly. This statewide partnership is endorsed by the Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and encouraged by the Arizona Department of Education.

Arkansas

Arkansas PBS, in partnership with Arkansas Department of Education’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), is working to keep students learning from home in response to COVID-19 with Arkansas AMI (AMI stands for Alternative Methods of Instruction). Arkansas PBS will broadcast streamlined, curriculum-based programming for the state’s pre-K through 8th grade students in response to mandatory school closures due to the new coronavirus. Utilizing the power of television, broadcast content will be specifically targeted to children enrolled in pre-K through the 8th grade. Watch the promo spot about Arkansas AMI.

Five of the Arkansas Teachers of the Year will be hosting a segment of each AMI day via video. Arkansas PBS is working with these teachers to record instruction remotely throughout the state.

Arkansas PBS’ Schoolhouse Daily is an email that shares tips and activiites for kids at home. Sign up here.

California

As part of the public media mission to ensure all kids, regardless of their capabilities, have access to continued free educational resources at home, PBS SoCal | KCET and KQED, in partnership with Los Angeles Unified School District, and in collaboration with California PBS stations, have launched At-Home Learning providing broadcast programming and accompanying digital resources that adhere to California’s state curriculum to provide continued learning during school closures.

At a time when classrooms have given way to distance learning across the state and nation in response to the Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) virus, Connecticut Public is putting its broadcast and digital platforms to work to support the at-home educational efforts of teachers, parents, caregivers and children in grades pre-K through 12th grade. In all, Connecticut Public’s TV and digital platforms are delivering up to 75 hours per week of accessible educational programming that is free to students, parents and teachers throughout Connecticut.

WETA, the local station for DC, northern Virginia and Maryland, has created a new webpage, Stuck at Home Survival Guide, to help families during these uncertain times and adjusting to social distancing.

PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs has a new section on their website, Making Sense of Coronavirus, that offers several resources, including a new special unit that covers the basics of local community journalism, storytelling, scripting, and video editing. They’ve also hosted a webinar for educators and are offering daily virtual office hours.

KET launched their At-Home Learning initiative, in partnership with the KY Department of Education, providing on-air and online resources for families and educators while schools are closed. They will begin broadcasting 10 hours a day preK-12 on March 30.

WUCF in Orlando, FL, has updated its “Meet the Helpers” resource site to include information about COVID-19, including new videos, which NETA is providing on PBS Source (keyword search: StationCOVID19). This resource site is free to use with a toolkit available for stations

Georgia

Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) Education partnered with the Georgia Department of Education to launch the Georgia Home Classroom initiative on March 17. The initiative consists of a modified instructional broadcast schedule on GPB-TV and a curated library of digital learning resources for PreK through 12th grade that adhere to Georgia's state standards to foster at-home learning across all subjects and grade levels. GPB Education also implemented a daily learning e-blast that goes out to 50,000 subscribers, and the education team is hosting live webinars to support teachers and families with at-home learning. For more information, go to gpb.org/learn. GPB’s full COVID-19 coverage can be accessed at gpb.org/virus.

Idaho

Beginning on April 20, Idaho Public Television will air CLASSROOM IDAHO: LEARN @ HOME on their CREATE channel. Each weekday morning, they will air classroom instruction taught by Idaho teachers for grades 3, 4, 5 & 6.

In partnership with Idaho State Department of Education and Idaho Business for Education, IdahoPTV’s “Classroom Idaho: Learn @ Home” programming aims to connect students that don’t have a computer or internet access at home, but do have a television, with certified Idaho teachers so that they can finish learning for the balance of this school year.

Idaho PBS has created a distance learning site to support their state, with helpful resources for teachers, kids and families.

Illinois

WILL-TV is offering special broadcast programming and digital resources to support children’s learning while they are home during school closings. They have changed their television schedules to ensure that all kids, especially those children without access to broadband internet, can benefit from researched-based, educator-approved resources. Visit WILL’s At-Home Learning site to view the educational program that matches a subject of interest, or download the broadcast schedule.

Indiana

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) announced a partnership with Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations (IPBS) to offer at-home learning experiences for K-12 students, aligned to Indiana curriculum standards. Accordingly, all eight IPBS television stations have published programming schedules and corresponding curriculum resource materials focusing on math, science, social studies, literacy, and other subjects. Television program schedules have been augmented with information about grade-level appropriateness, subject area focus, and learning objectives.

Iowa PBS is collaborating with the following agencies and organizations to provide access to educational enrichment options for students, parents and educators during the temporary disruption of classroom learning due to COVID-19:

In an effort to ensure limited disruption to Louisiana students' education due to public school closures, Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB), in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Education and in collaboration with PBS stations nationwide, have announced their At-Home Learning plan to provide teachers, parents, caregivers, and students with resources to continue learning during school closures with on-air and online educational resources.

Through the “At-Home Learning ” page, teachers and families can also access free videos, apps and games for children, LPB’s broadcast schedules, the free Bright by Text parenting tip messaging service, access to LPB - PBS LearningMedia and Discovery Education for educators, and links to award-winning PBS Digital Studios videos like “Crash Course,” “Deep Look,” “It’s OK to Be Smart,” and more. ​

Kentucky

KET launched their At-Home Learning initiative, in partnership with the KY Department of Education, providing on-air and online resources for families and educators while schools are closed. They will begin broadcasting 10 hours a day preK-12 on March 30.

Maryland

“The Learning Space” on Maine Public features teachers from around the state giving lessons for third through fifth graders in a variety of subjects. The program is a partnership between the Maine Public, Maine Department of Education and Educate Maine.

Maine Public, the Maine Department of Education, and Educate Maine have joined forces to create “The Learning Space” and offer original, educational programming for students in grades 3 through 5. Dedicated teachers from across Maine have developed original video lessons, pulling content from their own lesson plans and sources to provide exceptional learning opportunities for Maine students.

Maryland

Maryland Public Television launched an At Home Learning section on their education portal, Thinkport, to share curated collections of interactive learning resources, offline activities, and tips for teachers and parents alike. They also created an interactive tool to connect activities with PBS KIDS Programing.

See the above “Multi-State Collaboration” for MPT’s broadcast efforts.

Massachusetts

WGBH in Boston and WGBY in Springfield announced a partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to supplement learning resources while schools across the state are closed by providing distance learning over broadcast and digital platforms for grades preK-12. The new WGBH Distance Learning Center supports this effort with curated resources and guides for educators and families, along with special distance learning programming aligned with PBS LearningMedia resources, airing on the WGBH WORLD CHANNEL.

Listen to WGBH's President and CEO, Jon Abbott, talk about the new partnership on WGBH Morning Edition.

PBS and WGBH Boston have partnered to support distance learning. Beginning on Monday, March 30th, the WORLD Channel started providing a daily, five-hour At-Home Learning Service, for students in grades 6-12, to PBS stations nationwide. From 12 noon–5 pm EDT weekdays, WORLD will offer programs on science, history, and English language arts, and include related learning resources from PBS LearningMedia on the AHL television schedule. The WGBH Education team, with additional input from the WNET team, is thoughtfully curating program blocks that not only align with curriculum but create connections and build knowledge. Please find the schedules with related links at this link.

Michigan

Detroit Public TV is working with community educators across the state to provide free educational programming and associated digital resources that adhere to Michigan’s state curriculum to facilitate at-home learning across all grade levels. Their new Learning at Home webpage provides resources and a daily e-newsletter to support families and educators.

Responding to the need for educational resources for students as schools close due to the coronavirus, WKAR announced they are partnering with PBS, the WORLD Channel, and the Michigan Association of Public Broadcasters to bring Michigan viewers expanded At-Home Learning programming beginning on Monday, March 30. These daily free-over-the-air broadcasts will feature the best in public media science, history and other educational programming.

Mississippi

With schools in the state having closed their doors to help contain the spread of COVID-19, Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) has expanded their educational efforts to ensure educators, parents and students are equipped with resources to keep the learning going outside of the classroom. To further enhance learning at home, the station launched MPB At-Home Learning to offer resources for parents, children and educators during this critical time in our nation and world. MPB has realigned it's daytime programming on their main channel. On weekdays, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., MPB will air programs that support what students are learning in school. The day is structured for PreK-3, 4th-8th, 9th-12th and Mississippi Studies.

MPB is also encouraging parents and educators of young children to watch the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel. With a carefully selected schedule packed with engaging series designed to boost four key areas of childhood development — cognitive (including literacy, science, technology and math), social, emotional and physical (guiding kids towards healthy living).

MPB is guiding Mississippi educators to PBS LearningMedia, a comprehensive online library full of PreK-13+ educational resources. Among the features, PBS LearningMedia offers the ability for teachers to build lesson plans that include standards-aligned videos, games and other interactive educational content. It also integrates with Google Classroom and Remind, which many teachers already use.

MPB has created a new podcast for MPB Think Radio program called Mississippi Education Connection that will air Fridays at 10 a.m., while Next Stop, Mississippi is on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Mississippi Education Connection listeners will hear from state education leaders, teachers and counselors on best practices for learning at home.

As schools and districts in Montana suspend classes to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, MontanaPBS and the Montana Office of Public Instruction announce an ambitious plan to support home learning for students by delivering a new weekday television schedule of educational programs aligned to state standards and by creating a suite of free digital learning resources accessible from home. For more about visit the MontanaPBS Learn at Home resources site.

Nebraska

NET, Nebraska's PBS, has created a Learn at Home page featuring programs and learning resources grouped by age.

Nevada

Vegas PBS is offering pre-K-12 curriculum-based educational programming from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays in partnership with the Clark County School District and Nevada Department of Education.

New Mexico

In response to the novel coronavirus crisis that has resulted in the closures of all New Mexico public schools, NMPBS and Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) announced an ambitious and vital new broadcast initiative to support at-home learning for K-5 students and their families, by broadcasting a new weekday morning schedule of televised APS classes. Beginning Monday, April 6, APS @HOME, is broadcasting from 8 a.m. - Noon weekdays on Channel 5.1, and posting educational programs on the APS YouTube channel.

APS @HOME gives kids in grades K-5 the chance to resume lessons in key topics, as determined by the school district. To learn more, visit the NMPBS APS @Home site.

NJTV’s on-air classroom lessons will be livestreamed and archived on the network’s website, NJTVonline.org. To date, dozens of teachers from across New Jersey have been recruited to help deliver and prepare content in multiple subject areas, including math, science, English language arts, social studies and physical education. The network is prepared to provide up to 10 weeks of remote learning programming, which will see most kids through to the end of this school year.

New York

WNET expands its K-12 At Home Learning resources for the New York metro area with new programming schedules on its stations WLIW21 and WLIW WORLD to better serve families who are homebound during the COVID-19 pandemic. These daily, free over-the-air broadcasts focus on all major school subjects, drawing from WNET’s vast archive of PBS and locally produced content. Programs offered have accompanying resources for educators and families available on wnet.org/education, including related learning assets from PBS LearningMedia, a free online service of thousands of educational resources. This includes a PBS program viewing guide for grades 7-12 that can be used to accompany their newly enhanced educational broadcast scheduled on WLIW WORLD Channel.

WXXI in Rochester updated their main Education page to be a hub of curated resources for parents and educators. They've also launched their Learn At Home initiative in response to area school closings, which is a new grade level broadcast schedule from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.

North Carolina

In an effort to ensure limited disruption to students' education due to public school closures, PBS Charlotte has prepared broadcast programming and accompanying digital resources that adhere to state and national standards to provide continued at-home learning. Check out their At-Home Learning Toolkit for families and educators.

UNC-TV and the NC Department of Public Instruction are partnering to support school-age children learning at home by providing free, curriculum-informed, over-the-air content that is widely accessible to students—especially those with limited or no internet access. Each weekday, two blocks of programs on UNC-TV's North Carolina Channel will serve students. Learn more about UNC-TV’s At-Home Learning.

As Ohio schools closed, WOSU TV radically changed its daytime schedule to air teacher-curated, in-home educational programming linked by the WOSU Classroom team to learning resources including PBS LearningMedia. This unique service provides grade-level, standards-based programming for Ohio students to learn even with limited internet access.

Beginning Monday, March 30, OETA adjusted its daytime schedule to provide curriculum-based programming for students over the air on its broadcast channel, OETA WORLD. Programs will include PBS favorites like NOVA, Nature, American Experience as well as PBS KIDS programming. Each episode or series directly correlates to lessons and resources made available through PBS LearningMedia which have been designed to meet federal and state standards for grades PreK through 12. Programming changes will take place Monday through Friday from 6 am until 6 pm which will last until the end of the school year. OETA has also curated and created several resources for their community, including helpful discussion guides about COVID-19 for parents and educators.

Rural and urban educators are joining forces with RSU Public TV to bring daily learning experiences to northeast Oklahoma school children who find themselves staying at home due to statewide suspension of classes for the spring semester. RSU TV’s @HomeLearning programming airs daily Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon. It features a range of academic and physical education options, delivered in 30-minute segments, taught by certified classroom teachers and community education partners. Many of the classes are live broadcast.

Content provided in partnership with Oklahoma’s second largest school district, Tulsa Public Schools, addresses core subject areas: the arts, STEM, physical education, as well as social emotional learning and more. Rural Sequoyah Public Schools teachers provide multi-grade lessons focusing on reading, math, social studies and science with each lesson including enrichment opportunities.

Interactive reading and story time are presented by the Tulsa City-County Library staff each Friday, 9 to noon.

Oregon

OPB has adjusted its television schedules to support K-12 students with grade-level and subject-based programs during the coronavirus outbreak. This will provide thousands of children access to educational lessons while Oregon schools are closed. Starting March 30, OPB’s primary broadcast television channel will focus on educational content from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Programs will serve all ages throughout the day, starting with preschool programming in the morning and ending with high school programming in the afternoon. Learn more here.

Pennsylvania

VIA Public Media in Pittston, announced a change to their daily programming from 1-4pm geared toward students grades 4-12. Each weekday, starting Monday, March 23, they will include a line up of high interest, educational programs to engage students and families in learning together from home. Accompanying the schedule change will be a dedicated Learn At Home webpage to provide the daily show schedule and links to educational resources that correspond to each show.

Additionally, the station has launched Nightly Storytime with VIA. Each night at 7pm on the WVIA Education Facebook page, VIA staff will read books provided by a recent grant from the United Way and First Book.

Lehigh Valley Public Media (PBS39/WLVT) has worked with educators at the national, state and local levels to create Lehigh Valley Learns, new broadcast programming aligned to PA Core Standards that is aired over two of the station’s channels, with grade-specific programming (Grades K-5).

South Carolina

South Carolina ETV announced a new partnership with the SC Department of Education to support distance learning via broadcast and online.

On Tuesday, March 24, SCETV launched At-Home Learning, with enhanced broadcast programming three days each week from 8 a.m. and 6 p.m specific to preK – 12 and supplemental lesson plans and curriculum materials for educators and parents to facilitate meaningful use of the content.

Tennessee

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced a partnership with PBS stations across the state to provide home lessons through broadcast, beginning April 6.

The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and the state’s PBS stations have partnered to deliver daily instructional content for Tennessee students during COVID-19 school closures. Starting April 6, Tennessee’s six PBS stations — WNPT Nashville, East Tennessee PBS, WCTE Upper Cumberland, WKNO Memphis, West TN PBS, and Chattanooga WTCI — are delivering two hours of programming with high-quality instructional content from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CST. Four hours of content will also be streamed overnight, which viewers can watch live or record. The TDOE will post their lessons on the department’s YouTube channel sometime after they air at youtube.com/user/TNDeptofEducation.

For more information about Teaching Tennessee, see the TDOE’s press release.

Texas

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) and Texas PBS stations are proud to announce a joint initiative to air TEKS-aligned educational programming each week in 10 different PBS viewing areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Officially known as the At-Home Learning Initiative, the collaboration strengthens TEA’s efforts in assisting school districts and public charter schools with establishing instructional continuity and at-home learning during this unprecedented public health crisis. This free programming will reach 96 percent of Texas’s student-age (preK-12) population and each age group will receive targeted programming at specific times throughout the school day.

Texas PBS stations are offering a suite of resources designed in collaboration with educators and administrators that are aligned to Texas standards. For students and parents of students who are at-home, Texas PBS stations provide a variety of resources from broadcast television programs to digital resources.

UEN - Utah Education Network - launched a website called Learn@Home. The site consolidates timely resources for PreK-Grade -12 teachers, students, and parents/caregivers. While many of the resources are for students with home Internet access, you’ll also see a link to the UEN-TV schedule with educational programming that is available statewide and programs for early learners from PBS Utah, including the 24/7 PBS KIDS channel.

PBS Utah provides Family Nights to 30 Title I elementary schools in Salt Lake City. With the closing of schools until the end of the school year, PBS Utah launched a virtual at-home option to the in-person Family Nights that were hosted at the schools. To share the hands-on activities created for Family Nights, as well as activities from PBS KIDS, and resources from our community partners, PBS Utah started a blog series featuring their Education Program Manager as a video blogger. These weekly themed activities initially focused on literacy and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) learning, but have shifted as schools have started their distance learning programs. Now the blog features ways to connect, more family activities (game night ideas), and support (like mindfulness and scheduling). The content will continue to adjust to meet the needs of the parents in our community.

Working with partnering Title I elementary schools, PBS Utah is continuing to distribute age appropriate books to students. The schools are closed, but the books are being distributed at the free breakfast and lunch pickups and homework packet pickups.

PBS Utah has also adopted the WORLD Channels educational block to meet the needs of students and teachers doing distance learning.

Washington

In response to school closures throughout the state, all Washington PBS member stations - KCTS 9, KBTC, KSPS, and Northwest Public Broadcasting - have increased daily educational programming through the At-Home Learning initiative, in partnership with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the stations will support educators and families as they embark on a new journey of providing distance learning for students. Resources are available for all grades Pre-K through 12 across PBS learning platforms and supported by PBS LearningMedia.

KSPS in Spokane created a Home Learning webpage to share curated teacher-approved, standards-based activities for students preschool-aged all the way through high school. Activities and resources will be updated each day.

West Virginia

To keep students learning while schools are closed due to COVID-19 in West Virginia, the state's Department of Education announced a partnership with West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) to deliver student engagement content on the statewide TV network. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s statewide network will air 30-minute programs from 9 to 9:30 a.m., called "Education Station."

The program will be developed and provided by educators with the West Virginia Department of Education, as well as people in the field, addressing the need to provide students ongoing access to learning opportunities, regardless of internet connectivity or operational devices at the student’s home.

In addition to the resources available through the WVDE, West Virginia Public Broadcasting has dedicated a page to the COVID-19 pandemic with information, including additional educational resources, at WVPBS Learn at Home site.

Wisconsin

PBS Wisconsin and Milwaukee PBS, in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), announced an ambitious new tv broadcast schedule to support At-Home Learning, accompanied by curriculum-aligned digital resources, beginning March 30.

Virginia

Beginning April 13,, Virginia public media stations will broadcast teacher-led classroom instruction aligned with the commonwealth’s academic standards into homes across the state. Blue Ridge PBS, VPM, WETA and WHRO Public Media worked closely with the Virginia Department of Education to create “VA TV Classroom” to provide instruction to students in grades K-10 who are unable to access other distance learning options due to a lack of high-speed internet.

The “VA TV Classroom” on-air schedule is as follows:

K-3 instruction airs from 1-2 p.m. with Standards of Learning-aligned content provided by WHRO Public Media. “Learn to Grow with WHRO” segments will be 15 minutes in length and led by teachers.

During the week of April 27, “VA TV Classroom” will add a special hour from 3-4 p.m. called “AP Prep Week,” with content provided by Virtual Virginia — in collaboration with WHRO — focusing on a different AP subject each day. The hour will include two 30-minute segments.

VPM (Virginia Public Media), serving Richmond and Roanoke, is now offering Learning Plus, a special educational TV schedule for learning at home. Beginning March 23, Learning Plus programming offers air from 6:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. on weekdays on our VPM Plus channel offering free over-the-air programming for PreK-12. VPM has also created a new at-home learning webpage for parents and teachers to facilitate learning during school closures.

VPM announced a new video series with the First Lady of Virginia Pamela Northam and two beloved PBS KIDS characters, aimed at helping children and families stay healthy and connected as the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact communities in Virginia and across the world. Daniel Tiger and Katerina Kittycat of DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD join First Lady Northam for fun activities to learn how to practice healthy habits and stay connected with loved ones while social distancing. In an effort to support both physical and mental wellness, together they model the importance of handwashing, managing emotions and sharing feelings with a parent or caregiver. The videos will air on VPM and other public television stations across Virginia. NETA will also share the videos via PBS Source Station Exchange this week, use keyword “StationVCOVID19”.

WHRO Public Media announced that they are providing free access to their high-quality online courses for all teachers and students. This extensive catalog of textbook independent, award-winning, and customizable online courses is typically only available to the 21 school divisions that are owners of WHRO Public Media, but now freely available to all through their new Digital Learning webpage

NETA Station Resources

NETA is here to assist our member stations and the public media system as much as possible during this time of crisis. For assistance with video conferencing and other services to help your team work from home, please contact us.

We are now offering to upload coronavirus related interstitials and communication templates to PBS Source and Station Exchange. Learn more here.

For assistance with video conferencing and other services to help your team work from home, please contact us.